Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Used for Wound Healing in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area Enugu State Nigeria

Background: Due to numerous advantages derived from the use of plants, at least ۷۰% of the indigenes of the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area (LGA) depend on plants. Objectives: The present study was performed to survey medicinal plants used for wound healing by the indigenes of communities in Uzo-Uwani LGA, Nigeria. Methods: A survey was conducted from February to September ۲۰۲۲ to find out plants that are employed for wound healing by the indigenes. Information was gathered through oral interviews, including semi-structured questionnaires, with traditional medicine practitioners in each community, herbalists, and elderly villagers. Results: Overall, ۳۳ plants belonging to ۲۶ families were identified consisting of trees (۵۱.۵۱%), herbs (۳۳.۳۳%), and shrubs (۱۵.۱۵%), and ۱۵.۱۵%, ۳۶.۳۶%, and ۴۸.۴۸% were endangered, threatened, and neither threatened nor endangered, respectively. From the findings, ۵۱.۵۱%, ۲۴.۲۴%, and ۲۴.۲۴% were collected wild, wild plus cultivated, and cultivated, respectively. Fabaceae (۲۱.۲۱%) and Asteraceae (۹.۱۰%) families were the highest used species for wound healing, respectively, followed by Liliaceae (۶.۱۰%) and Rubiaceae (۶.۱۰%) families. Leaves (۳۶.۳۶%) were the most frequently used part, followed by the stembarks (۲۷.۲۷%), whole plant (۱۲.۱۲%), and roots (۹.۱۰%), seeds (۹.۱۰%), as well as shoot, fruits/pods, and aerial parts (۳.۰۳% each). Decoction (۷۲.۷۲%) and infusion (۲۷.۲۷%) were the prominent methods of use. Pycnanthus angolensis had the highest use value (۱.۰۴%), fidelity level (۱۰۰%), informants’ consensus factor (۰.۶۶ %), and Rahman’s similarity index (RSI) (۸۴.۰۶%) but low citation. Conclusion: Our findings documented medicinal plants used as ethnomedicinal prescriptions for wound healing by the indigenes with the view to providing alternate drug sources.